Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-02-24
sGRITTfToTS OTTRIGE.

The following is the text of Il special dis
patch from Washington TO the Ohio State
Journal. under date of February 90:
Colonel Dufield. of Detroit. has been
chosen by the executive committee of the
Amy of the Cumberland to deliver the ora
ton at the unveling Of the Garfield statue
here on May 10. Senator Harrison, of In
diana. was selected first and Colonel Duf-
field was alternate. but Harrison has de
clined on account of business engagements.
This disposes Of the quarrel over reN-Speaker
keifer, who was originally selected for
orator on this eyenttul occasion, and II
is said that he has prepared an address for
the great event. Ii is claimed that the
committee that selected keteT had not
a quorum or was unauthorized Ia act IN
that capacity. Ii seems impo>slbl" Ia gel
at the facts. but II appears that Meier
selection was made by the committee ana
kept quiet At any rate it was not known
here generally till recently. when CORE
spondentS learned il and the attention oi
the society of the Army OF the Cumberland
was called to it. II was al once determined
to make a change. Intimate friends of the
ex-speaker We're telagraphed Ia and witten
to, asking them to go 10 General keiter and
urge him to decline the invitation owing 10
the quarrel here, but they refused Ia do So
when the thing was taken in hand by the
executive committee. Colonel Dulheld was
an intimate friend of Garfield, was good
soldier, and is an eloquent speaker.
The action of the executive committee of
the society of the Army "f the
Cumberland. as outlined in the
foregoing, is gross and gratu;ors
;,,,,,l, e. III f,;,n1 ,f Mr. Garfield whn
was. also. brave and gallant soldier, with
most honorable record. and who,
since the war. has rendered excellent
service L. the people Of the country. in
congress. both on the. floor and a speaker
of the House of Representatives. As
legislator he was honest, fearless and III
corruptible. and because he was such,
drew on himself the fire of boodler> and
ringsters.
General keifer was here. in Springfield,
mnding his own business and attending 10
his duties as professional man and citi-
zen. when he received an invitation TO
deliver the address at the unvciling Of the
statue of Garfield. erected by the Army Of
matter of course. unsought and unexpected.
and when it was known that il had been
received by General Keifer. it was consid-
cred by his friends as a great but we'll
deserved honor. and ali felt sure that the
Grafton would be in all respects worthy OF
the great occasion. The committee, every
body knows. was under no obligation to
invite General keifeT 10 make the address,
but after il had invited him, or if its menI-
bers had invited anybody else. who was
honest and decent, common courtesy would
have dictated that they stand by their
action.
But. in Withdrawing the invitation. let
it be understood. the committee has dis
honored itself. and not General Keifer. and
its members may well feel that when they
meet their comrades at Washington, oil the
10th of May. they will be held responsible
for their unwarramted and discourteous and
insulting action. Their conduct has been
such as could not have been taken by any
body of gentlemen. and the Withdrawal
of the invitation after il had been formally
extended. is without precedent among de-
cent people. and as surprising TO the coun-
try at large as ii is disgusting to General
Keifer's personal friends, who number up
in the thousands. and who are found in
goodly groups, in all portions of the coun-
try.